The present invention discloses an apparatus for trimming plants, in particular, buds and flowers, to remove unwanted plant material. A typical application would be to process a plant to leave only trimmed buds and flowers for use in potpourri, fragrant sashes, or as a prelude to further processing of essential oils. The invention enables faster and safer production of plant material than prior plant processing machines. The apparatus employs an original combination of a slotted metal drum and a lawn mower type cutting reel that are rotated in the same direction, but at different speeds, to create a cutting interface that shears the unwanted plant material off and then collect this debris though a novel vacuum manifold into a waste collection device. The cutting interface between the slotted drum and the cutting reel is adjustable to keep the distance between the two between 0.002 and 0.006 inches for a very sharp and clean cut. The invention includes a roller brush and sprayer system to keep the cutting interface clean, without buildup of oils and other organic plant material. The invention is built upon a frame that moves on wheels and that allows for adjustment for operation in a level or tilted configuration to best suit the processing of particular types of plant material. The manifold cover is easily removed for cleaning and for sharpening or adjustment of the cutting blades.
